The Prime Minister, John Howard, should consult a far wider group of well-placed people before he appoints a new governor-general, 50 prominent Australians believe.

A widespread view among public figures interviewed by the Herald yesterday - from academia, sport, religion, science, politics and the arts - was that no longer should the prime minister alone choose a candidate.

The former Olympic sprinter Melinda Gainsford-Taylor spoke for many in wanting a candidate with the qualities of the former governor-general Sir William Deane to take over the troubled office. She said wider consultation was needed.

Views on how Mr Howard should go about seeking wise counsel differed. However, if he were open to advice on who should replace Peter Hollingworth, several names kept cropping up: the NSW Governor, Marie Bashir, Aboriginal elder Lowitja O'Donohue, and pediatrician John Yu, who is Chancellor of the University of NSW.

Mr Howard said last night that he had already had talks with senior ministers about a possible replacement and would decide within weeks.

He told ABC-TV that he accepted responsibility for the vice-regal debacle, saying there had been no background checks on Dr Hollingworth before his appointment: "I'm sorry it turned out the way it did."

The Opposition Leader, Simon Crean, said Mr Howard should have acted to remove Dr Hollingworth 15 months ago when he had admitted his error in not moving against a pedophile priest.

Dr Hollingworth plans to deliver a televised address to the nation tomorrow or on Thursday.

The week's events have also revived the debate over a republic, with some leading academics, sports people, scientists, playwrights, church leaders and other public figures arguing that it is time to make the change.

Opinion remained widely dispersed over the sort of model republican supporters wanted.

On the governor-general, the Herald asked the 50 prominent Australians whether they thought the present system of appointment was appropriate and what qualities they felt a candidate should have.

Raymond Apple, senior rabbi at the Great Synagogue in Sydney, said any citizen should be able to put forward a candidate.

"All names would be considered by a selection committee headed by the prime minister, and a recommendation put to a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament and then submitted to the Queen," he said.

Dame Leonie Kramer, former chancellor of the University of Sydney and a self-described "anti-republican", said she saw no reason for change. "It is a matter for the prime minister and that is how it should stay."

The former NSW Chief Justice, Sir Lawrence Street, agreed, but said the prime minister should be obliged to consult with the leader of the Opposition to ensure bipartisan support for any candidate.

This was also the position of the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, George Pell, who ruled out religious leaders as governor-general, or as president of a republic.

The academic and republican Eva Cox said there should at least be agreement from the Opposition and minor parties. The prime minister might use the committee which selects candidates for the honours list to assist in background checks.

The national secretary of the Australian Workers Union, Bill Shorten, warned of "a celebrity draw" and said clerics should be excluded. "I think there should be a republic. But in terms of the selection process, a vote by two-thirds of the combined Parliaments is a good model."

The former Labor prime minister Gough Whitlam, sacked by a governor-general nearly 30 years ago, wanted a selection panel of 10 people, chosen by a two-thirds majority in a secret ballot of a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament.

Mr Whitlam, who supported the appointment of Marie Bashir, said a governor-general should know Australian history and have an understanding of the people.

The basketballer Andrew Gaze said the candidate should be "non-political. It's a very ceremonial role . . . it's got to be someone who represents the values of the community".

The poet Les Murray said no one was safe in the job if people could be driven out by accusation and innuendo. "There shouldn't be a head of state. The head should be invested in all the citizens. What do you need a governor-general for? Just to shake hands and greet people. I wouldn't wish it on anyone."

The historian Geoffrey Blainey, who supports the present system, said the job "requires patience, tact and restraint in private, and prestige in public". He said the increased calls for a governor-general to become the conscience of the nation "could prove to be a recipe for political chaos".

The NSW Liberal leader, John Brogden, an avowed republican, said the former governor-general Sir William Deane was not the ideal role model because he engaged in politics "even if only at the edges".

To restore confidence, he said, "John Howard must make a decision sooner rather than later".

Mr Brogden named the former governor-general Sir Zelman Cowen as an ideal model under the present system.